Blog

Listening is an essential skill that helps kids learn, communicate and connect with others. It plays a significant role in school, at home and with their friends. Good listening skills can help your child understand directions, learn new things and respond thoughtfully. There are different types of listening, such as:

Have you ever felt extremely excited about a new hobby or activity, only to quickly lose interest a short time later? This experience, known as anhedonia, can be common. Anhedonia is the inability to feel pleasure or joy in activities that were once enjoyable. There are two types of anhedonia:

Ruminations are repetitive thoughts that cause you to focus on replaying the same negative thoughts over and over again. You’re continuously thinking about distressing situations, worries or negative thoughts without finding a solution, making you feel worse instead of feeling better. It’s natural to think about your problems from time to time, but when these thoughts...

Does your child have trouble staying focused on a single task? Do they seem to be easily distracted or jump from activity to activity? These could be signs of a short attention span. Attention span is the amount of time someone can concentrate on a single task without getting distracted. All kids can occasionally struggle with focus, especially since they’re still lea...

Imagine a classroom where students can’t sit still, focus on their tasks or remember their assignments. It sounds like complete chaos, right? Unfortunately, this can be the reality for many teachers. That’s where Executive Function professional development programs come in. These programs can help teachers learn effective strategies to support their students’ Executiv...

Keeping up with young children is a challenge for every parent. If your child has particularly high energy, you may have wondered if it’s just excess energy or something more. It’s definitely true that some kids just have more energy than others, and they need a bit more support to stay calm and quiet when they need to. However, there are other potential causes to be ...

Our modern lives are full of more distractions than just 10 or 20 years ago. Social media brings a constant stream of news and information. We have busy schedules and high expectations. Many adults find it hard to concentrate on their work during the day, and the same is true for students. At this critical age, they’re forming habits that will serve them for the rest ...

No matter how old you are, misplacing and forgetting things on a regular basis comes with consequences. Forgetting things your loved ones tell you can quickly lead to disappointment and a loss of trust. Forgetting about important meetings and schedule changes can affect your performance at work.

Have you ever had random thoughts that were totally out of character for you, such as things you could do or negative things you could say about yourself or others? Intrusive thoughts happen from time to time, and having them doesn’t make you a bad person. Most people never speak a word about their intrusive thoughts — unless someone else shares that they’ve had a sim...

Stimming behaviors can be one of the most noticeable outward signs that a person has ADHD — but not always. Parents and teachers often take note when children have stimming behaviors that become disruptive in the classroom, such as talking during a lesson or leaning backward in their chair until they topple over. These behaviors may be a sign that a child has ADHD and...

For the approximate 366 million people living with ADHD, living in a world that seems to thrive on peak productivity and efficiency can be challenging. ADHD can make it feel like you’re swimming upstream against a powerful current, and despite your best efforts, you still end up exhausted and feeling like you didn’t make any progress. Even with decades of research con...

Impulsive behavior means acting quickly without thinking about what may happen next. You make a snap decision or react immediately without considering the consequences. This can happen to both children and adults in different ways. While impulsivity can sometimes lead to positive outcomes, it often results in negative consequences. Knowing what impulsive behavior look...

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These symptoms can make it hard for a person to focus, stay organized or control impulses.

Anger is a normal human emotion, but when it becomes excessive or uncontrollable, it can significantly impact a child’s life. For children with ADHD, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder, anger can be extra challenging due to the child’s tendencies to have difficulties with:

Not all individuals with ADHD have the same experiences. ADHD can come in multiple different forms with differing symptoms. As a parent, caretaker or teacher who cares for children with ADHD, it’s important to understand the nuances of the condition. Whether you want to build better habits in your students or manage your child’s symptoms at home, knowledge is key. Lea...

Having a good oral hygiene routine is key to maintaining oral and dental health in the long term. Keeping a consistent routine is not always easy, though, especially for individuals with ADHD. Whether you’re an adult with ADHD or you simply have trouble with some Executive Function skills, you may find it challenging to keep up with a consistent oral hygiene routine. ...

Do you think your child may be hyperactive? Hyperactivity, a common sign of ADHD in students, is characterized by high levels of activity. A hyperactive child may be constantly moving and talking, taking little time to rest. While hyperactivity is often associated with ADHD, it’s not the same thing. Hyperactivity is a symptom that can be connected to various condition...

Are you having trouble staying focused on the job? Maintaining concentration at work can be difficult, especially for individuals with ADHD. ADHD can involve hyperactivity and impulsiveness, which can make it hard to focus on a single task. Think you may have ADHD? With a free ADHD symptom toolkit, you can learn more about your condition and how it can be addressed. W...

Are you frequently forgetful about day-to-day tasks? While occasionally forgetting something is natural, persistent lapses can start to have a negative impact on your life. As an adult, you likely have many tasks and responsibilities that require your attention. Keeping these tasks in mind can be key to success as you manage your responsibilities and work toward long-...

Do you often find yourself interrupting other people in conversations? For individuals with ADHD, interrupting others can be a common challenge. You may have a hard time knowing when to speak and when to listen. When your thoughts are racing, you might start to talk before realizing another person is speaking. If interruptions are making your social interactions more ...

ADHD is often thought of as a childhood condition. However, many adults who experience challenges with focus, organization and impulsivity may be surprised to learn they have ADHD. While the symptoms may present differently in adults than in children, ADHD can significantly impact an adult's life at work, at home and in relationships.

Misplacing things can be a huge source of frustration for both young people and adults. It's not that you're careless or not trying hard enough. In fact, you probably experience more inconvenience from losing your possessions than anyone else.

Prioritization skills become important for most children around the time they start going to school. There's only so much time in a day to work on things like art projects and homework. It takes some prioritization to make sure the important things get done well and on time. At this age, different after-school activities and interests like youth group, scouts and spor...

Once you reach high school, your parents or caregivers, teachers, coaches, and mentors will start expecting you to manage responsibilities at home and at school with a little more independence. This is when you might start hearing more messages about laziness, motivation and self-discipline. Indeed, many of your bigger goals in life will take a combination of life ski...

School-aged children have a daily routine with things they need to do at specific times. From getting ready for school and getting out the door to going to bed at night, things generally happen in the same order. To a certain extent, it can be pretty stable and predictable. However, life is full of changes. Each season brings different activities, different goals and ...

The world is filled with sights, sounds, smells and textures. For some people with ADHD, all of these sensations that cause stimulation can be a bit overwhelming. And trying to process all these overwhelming sensations can make it hard to focus on anything specific.

Every child is special, and some kids have amazing brains that work in a unique way. These children may have trouble focusing on tasks or keeping things organized, but they also have incredible strengths and talents. This is called high-functioning ADHD. It’s important to remember that ADHD isn’t a weakness, but rather a different way to experience the world.

Have you ever heard someone say that “kids will grow out of it” when talking about ADHD? While that may be true for some childhood habits, it doesn’t apply to ADHD. The truth is, ADHD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder; it affects the way the brain develops and functions, and it can persist throughout a person’s life. That doesn’t mean the symptoms will stay ex...

The world can be a truly exciting place full of sights, sounds and things to touch — which is great for kids with curious minds who love to learn new things. But for some kids with ADHD, all that stimulation can sometimes become too much. It can be overwhelming and hard for them to know where to look or what to focus on with so much happening around them all at once.

We all have impulses, or moments when our brain urges us to take a specific action. It can be a small thing that we're tempted to do, like scratch an itch or roll our eyes. Or it can be something bigger, like yelling at someone or leaving the room to go do something else. We learn to control our actions as young children with some help from our caregivers and teachers...

Does your child seem like a perpetual motion machine in class? They’re constantly squirming and fidgeting. You’re not alone. Many children can struggle with staying still, especially in structured environments like school. While occasional restlessness is to be expected, persistent difficulty focusing and managing energy can be a sign of an underlying condition like A...

The crisp autumn air, the smell of new notebooks, and the promise of fresh beginnings: The back-to-school season is upon us. While it can be an exciting time full of learning, for children with ADHD, the transition can be a delicate balancing act. The constant demands of school can lead to a hidden threat: ADHD burnout.

Does your child ever seem lost in a world of daydreams during class? Maybe homework takes forever because they can’t quite stay focused. Or perhaps they’re a whirlwind of energy, constantly on the move, blurring out answers before questions are even finished. These could be signs of ADHD, a common neurodevelopmental condition that affects an estimated 7 million childr...

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can present challenges in the classroom for the estimated 7 million children who live with ADHD. While your child may have ADHD, it’s important to remember it doesn’t define your child’s potential. With the right support and accommodations, your child with ADHD can thrive in school and reach their full academic potential...

Summer is winding down and the excitement, and maybe a touch of anxiety, of a new school year is creeping in. For parents of children with ADHD, this transition can feel particularly daunting. With a little planning and some proactive strategies, you can help set your child up for a successful school year.

As your child gets older, they’re continuously developing and changing in every way, from physical appearance to personality. There are also many essential skills, such as Executive Function skills, that they can develop young and continue to improve as they get older. Executive Function skills are life management skills that help you plan, initiate, and achieve goals...

When summer starts to turn to fall, that means one thing for many families: It’s back-to-school time. It’s natural for many habits and routines to be disrupted during summer break. As kids head back to school, parents can help their children get organized.

When you have a particular opinion on something, or you’re used to viewing things in one particular manner, it can be difficult to adapt to new problems or ideas that come up. We all have our own perspectives and lines of thinking; however, we should try to evolve our thought patterns and adapt them when necessary. Even if it’s natural to want to just stick with what ...

When you get told a large amount of information at one time, such as during an educational lecture, it can take a bit of time to process and grasp what you’ve been told. Did you know that there’s a type of disorder that can make it difficult for the brain to accurately perceive what’s being heard?

It’s not always easy to get your kids to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, let alone get the recommended amount of sleep for their age group. Not only do they often want to stay up to watch a show or play “just one more game,” but they may also have a disorder that interferes with their ability to fall and stay asleep.

Whether your child is at home, in the classroom, or out in your community, you want them to be on their “best” behavior. That often means being considerate to the people and environment around them. While children may not understand the mechanics of socially acceptable behavior, impulsive behavior is often a point of concern for both parents and teachers.

Every child is different. Some have boundless energy with an extroverted personality. Others are more cautious and introverted. Both are completely OK. It’s important that your child develops their own sense of self without expectations from others. Even so, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be concerned about their behavior sometimes.

As a parent, you always hope that your child will listen when you’re trying to have a conversation, ask them questions or provide directions for a chore. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. It can sometimes feel like everything you’re saying is going in one ear and out the other, which can be frustrating.

When you’re a parent, you want to make sure that your child is putting their all into everything they do, from homework to extracurricular activities. You know what they’re capable of, and you want to see that full potential in their results. But sometimes, their capabilities aren’t showcased in their grades.

There are a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions about ADHD. One popular theory that’s been disproven is that ADHD is a childhood disorder that kids will eventually outgrow. Some people with ADHD indeed notice fewer symptoms in adulthood after they’ve mastered the skills they need to function at their best. However many still need to work actively to manage their ADH...

Most of the symptoms that signal ADHD in children sound like typical toddler behavior. It’s definitely true that all infants and toddlers can be impatient, impulsive, and fussy from time to time. But since you’re reading this article, you’ve likely wondered where the line is between “typical toddler behavior” and symptoms that indicate ADHD.

Our understanding of ADHD and neurodiversity has been evolving for at least 30 years. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) with and without hyperactivity was added to the DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in 1980, but it had been conceptualized differently in previous editions. In 1987, the two types of ADD were removed from the DSM-III-R. In...

Some people think emotional regulation and “logic” skills like problem-solving are separate functions. But these processes are closely related. When our emotions are overpowering, we have a limited capacity to use the cognitive or “thinking” parts of the brain.

Each one of us has a unique relationship with time. Some people experience it differently than others, and you may be more aware of time passing (or less aware of it) than others. You may feel like you have very little time in the day to get things done, or you might feel like time is “on your side.”

One of the best parts about being a student is having summers off! Every student I know eagerly looks forward to summer break, and for good reason. The school year is long and arduous, and it’s important to take some time off during the summer to recharge, relax, and have fun before heading back to school in September. However, as you progress through high school, how...

There are many things that our parents pass on to us, such as our belief system, eye color, and personality traits. Our genetics also play a significant role in overall health and wellness, which is why it’s often a factor in many diagnoses.

Have you ever watched your child start a project with boundless enthusiasm, only to get sidetracked by a stray butterfly or a captivating toy car minutes later? This may sound familiar if your child has ADHD. Kids with ADHD can struggle to stay focused, manage their time effectively and resist distractions — all factors that play a crucial role in motivation.

Revenge bedtime procrastination describes an increasingly common phenomenon where people deliberately delay going to sleep so they can indulge in leisure activities. It first came into use in a 2014 paper researching a new area of procrastination at bedtime. Revenge bedtime procrastination isn’t just about staying up late. The addition of “revenge” to bedtime procrast...

Ever feel like you start a task with gusto, only to get sidetracked by a squirrel outside your window moments later? If you have ADHD, this may sound all too familiar. ADHD can make sticking to routines, including personal hygiene tasks like showering, brushing your teeth and doing laundry, a constant battle.

Most people like to have their space relatively clean and organized. However, for many children, it’s difficult to not only get their bedroom to be neat, but also to keep it that way for longer than a day. Nearly every parent knows what it’s like to have their child’s bedroom turn from a clean space where everything is in the right place to a disorganized mess after t...

Household chores help your children learn responsibility, gain independence and develop life skills that they’ll need in the future. But they’re not always enjoyable activities, so it’s not uncommon for your child to procrastinate on their chores or try to get out of them completely. If your child has ADHD, it can be even harder to get them to complete their chores ar...

When you’re a teacher, it’s important to make sure that your classroom is managed in a way that works for your students. They each have their own needs and abilities that affect their learning.

The first cues teachers and parents notice in a child who might have ADHD are typically behavioral. They might move around a lot, talk during class or get distracted often. When ADHD goes undiagnosed, these children are often channeled into behavior interventions instead. Researchers are now paying more attention to difficulties with emotion regulation. These are also...

ADHD and dyslexia are both considered neurodevelopmental disorders. These are conditions involving differences in brain functioning that begin in developmental stages. The two have a high rate of co-occurrence, but there are some big differences to be aware of as a parent or an educator.

Many children with ADHD have a sense that they’re somehow different from their peers, even if they don’t have a diagnosis. These children are right; they are different — and that can be both a great thing and a source of challenges. And some children have a harder time bouncing back from failures, criticism and rejections than others.

It can be challenging to motivate your child to do something they don’t want to do, and this may be especially difficult if your child also has ADHD. People with ADHD often have issues with motivation, and studies have shown that this may be because of disruption of the dopamine reward pathway. People with ADHD are more likely to have a dopamine deficiency, which can ...

ADHD can impact many aspects of a person’s everyday life. It can make it difficult to complete a task in one sitting, pay attention during a conversation with a friend, or keep track of time while on a schedule. One of the most common challenges for people with ADHD is organization.

When your daughter’s teacher recommends testing for ADHD, it can be a big shock if you don’t know much about this neurotype. That’s a common experience for a lot of parents. Research on what ADHD looks like and the population of neurodiverse people who have it has progressed a lot in just the last 10 years.

Nothing, and nobody, can be perfect, because perfect doesn’t exist. Even though we’ve all probably heard that at some point in our lives and acknowledge that it’s true, it can be difficult to stop ourselves from trying to reach perfection anyway.

There are many important tasks that make you want to groan in annoyance at the thought of completing them. Things like organizing your important documents, deep cleaning your bathroom and decluttering your attic are all responsibilities that you know must be done, but you’d rather do anything else instead. So you do. That’s an example of procrastination.

Studying can be a challenge for any student, but if your child has ADHD, it may be even harder for them to do well in school, and they may spend a lot of time trying to study with poor results. However, this doesn’t mean your child isn’t smart, since bad grades may simply be due to difficulty concentrating on and retaining information.

When people talk about feeling paralyzed, they mean that their entire body essentially freezes up, despite how their mind may be filled with racing thoughts. Having your mind or body “paralyzed” can make you feel helpless and out of control of your own body. People with ADHD often report feeling paralyzed. ADHD paralysis is an overwhelming sensation that can interfere...

Does your child with ADHD feel stuck or overwhelmed trying to complete everyday tasks? Do they struggle to even begin a chore or start their homework? It may not just be laziness that’s got your kid in a slump. Children with ADHD often struggle with motivation and completing tasks due to dopamine deficiency.

Life can be stressful and hectic, which is why it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed every once in a while. When your expenses are piling up too high or you have too many deadlines on your work calendar, it can put a heavy weight on your thoughts and emotions, especially if you have ADHD.

Stress has a notable impact on the overall quality of life for students at nearly every level. In the U.S., approximately 83% of teens are stressed due to school, with 63% labeling homework as a primary factor. For high school students in particular, approximately 31% feel overwhelmed due to their stress. When it comes to college students, 8 out of every 10 students e...

From phones and iPads to laptops and TVs, screens are just about everywhere in modern life. While it's impossible to completely avoid them, it's important to find a healthy balance of screen use to avoid addiction and negative effects on our mental health, work, and relationships. I wanted to explore this topic in more depth, so I reached out to Dr. Cliff Sussman, a p...

In the world of Executive Function, working memory is a standout skill. Consider it your brain’s Post-it note! This cognitive skill allows us to hold and manipulate information temporarily – crucial for tasks like following instructions, solving problems, or even keeping track of a conversation. In everyday life, working memory is the backstage hero ensuring we comple...

In a world that rewards peak productivity and efficiency, living with ADHD can feel like you’re swimming upstream against a powerful current. No matter how hard you try to fight the current with willpower alone, you end up downstream from where you wanted to go, exhausted and discouraged from your failed efforts. Despite decades of research showing that ADHD is a very...

Do you ever find yourself putting off tasks until the last minute, misplacing your belongings, or always running late? These are all signs of Executive Function challenges that many people deal with. Fortunately, we have a handful of tips and strategies that teach you how to improve executive function skills. But, first, what even is Executive Function anyway? Executi...

It’s often said that there’s nothing that can fully prepare you for becoming a parent. Although we may never know precisely who said that quote originally, I strongly suspect that they had at least one kid with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). Having once been one of the 6.1 million kids and teens with ADHD, I know firsthand how difficult it is to grow u...

You'll find a million time management tips and strategies with a simple Google search. In today's blog post, we’ll save you some time and share a four-step system that will help you find and develop time management strategies that will last a lifetime. Here are the four steps: Figure out your relationship with time Learn how to prioritize Implement tools and strategie...

"My kid has ADHD and I can't seem to get them to do anything without constant reminders. Even outright threats of losing privileges aren't effective. From showering, to homework, to keeping their room clean, to unloading the dishwasher when they're supposed to, it's one constant struggle. Why is it so hard to motivate my kid?" As Executive Function coaches, we get que...

Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? If so, you're not alone. Millions of people worldwide face the challenges that come with ADHD, including difficulties in focus, organization, and executive functioning. While medication can help manage some symptoms, ADHD coaching is an alternative or complementary approa...

Flying off the handle. Flipping your lid. Melting down. Any way you say it, when emotions get out of control, it’s hard for everyone involved - especially when ADHD is part of the picture. Everyone knows about the attention and focus challenges inherent in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - but one symptom that is often overlooked or forgotten is emotio...

Regardless of age, learning that you or a loved one has ADHD or experiences symptoms of Executive Dysfunction can be difficult to process. One of the reasons that this news can be so overwhelming is that there's simply so much information out there on the subject that it can feel like an impossible task just to decipher what's true or important (let alone decide what ...

Grief, loss, and emotional trauma are really hard to think about or talk about. Because our podcast, Focus Forward, aims to tackle these things that are hard to talk about, I reached out to Dr. Lisa Shulman to explore the topic of how the experience of loss impacts our brains and our executive functioning. You can listen to that episode here.

You’ve puzzled over plenty of life’s mysteries. Why does food taste better outdoors? Why did that weird ad show up in my feed? Where’s my other sock? When it comes to our kids’ academic performance, one mystery we hear from parents is: “Why is my smart kid struggling?” I mean, your kid can talk your ear off about black holes, or the Ming Dynasty, or Shakespearean subp...

Let’s be honest… No student loves homework - and for good reason. When we consider the full school day, extracurriculars, and various social components that are all part of a typical school week, it’s no wonder why students want to relax and recharge when they finally get home. However, part of growing up is learning to roll up our sleeves and do those essential thing...

If you had asked me in 2006, when Beyond BookSmart was in its infancy as a company, if it’s possible to coach students online to be more effective and productive, I’d have likely answered with a resounding “Inconceivable!” After all, our work is built on a foundation that emphasizes rapport and respect for our students. Without that, it’s an uphill trudge to influence...

By the time the semester hits mid-October, college and high-school students are really starting to get into the thick of the school year's demands. And although getting through all the deadlines successfully may seem most important, it's also critical to remember that burnout is real and emotional well-being is often more important than checking off another item on th...

Although parents have many responsibilities, the greatest one of all is to equip our kids with the skills they need to grow into successful, independent, and happy adults. However, when we find that our kids’ transition into adulthood isn’t happening the way we hoped, that responsibility can suddenly become a terrible burden. Whether it’s around the end of high school...

Exactly a decade ago, I found myself trundling toward Louis Armstrong Airport on a crowded shuttle of folks like me who were eager to evacuate New Orleans before Hurricane Isaac made landfall. My mental checklist ticked off all the items I needed to have with me: wallet, ID, tickets, carry-on bag. Hmmm - I seemed to be missing one important thing. Oh yeah, my kid! I h...

New sneakers, fresh binders, and the latest model backpack. Typical must-haves for the first day of school, right? As exciting as it is for the return of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and all the external trappings that entails, the real key to a great school year lies in the attitudes and habits your student cultivates. In other words, while new Nikes are nic...

As a classroom teacher and school principal, I have worked with thousands of students over the course of my career. Many students with whom I’ve worked struggle with the daily challenges of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts one’s ability to control impulses, organize thoughts and belongings, manage time, and ca...

Editor's note: This article has been reviewed and verified for accuracy by Theresa Cerulli, MD., a nationally certified neuropsychiatrist with over 20 years of expertise in diagnosing and treating ADHD in children and adults. It can be overwhelming when you learn that you or a loved one has ADHD, whether they're an adult or a child. There’s so much information availab...

We’ll start this essential topic with a little pop quiz. How would you complete this statement? When my kid starts living on their own, I worry that they won’t be able to ____________. Chances are, your answers were pretty similar to what we hear from the thousands of parents we talk to every year. Perhaps you listed numerous concerns like making their own medical app...

Over the last few years, you may have noticed that there are more conversations happening around mental health, and for good reason. Whether it's primarily due to pandemic shifts, the prevalence of technology, or a combination of factors, more people than ever are feeling anxious and depressed. Although the suffering caused by these challenges is difficult to adequate...

As Executive Function coaches, we find that many of the people we work with feel disheartened or stressed when they fail to reach their self-improvement goals. After all, when you work to change your habits, you're putting yourself in a vulnerable position where you're trusting that you are capable of making a change. This is why it's often so upsetting, particularly ...

Picture this: You go from a 6:30am wake-ups 5 days a week to 10:00am ones. You go from six intense hours of learning to a 50-minute class followed by a three hour break. You go from abiding by a curfew to being able to stay up as late as you want. These are the kinds of transitions that college freshman eagerly look forward to (and make all of us wish we were still in...

The college environment presents greater demands for self-management than most young adults have ever experienced. Add in the fallout from pandemic disruptions and we really do have a perfect storm of circumstances that have left many college students anxious, depressed, and overwhelmed. Why are college students struggling? Consider a few of these scenarios to give yo...

Living with executive dysfunction makes life infinitely more difficult - especially for high schoolers. For the first time in their lives, struggling to manage time, stay organized, resist procrastination, and study effectively all begin to have meaningful consequences. Even so, it's also the perfect time to build these skills before their demands ramp up in college a...

Editor's Note: We are bringing back and updating our popular “Day in the Life” series that has been shared and read by thousands since they were published in 2017. Here, we portray a typical day filled with challenges for a middle school student - along with some tips to help them navigate those obstacles. When thinking back to your middle school years, I’ll bet you r...

Editor's Note: We are bringing back and updating our popular “Day in the Life” series that has been shared and read by thousands since they were published in 2017. We start with a glimpse into the challenges of a late elementary student and see how empathy is a useful starting point to help support them. As an adult, you may think that being a fourth-grader is the eas...

Of all the Executive Function-related challenges we experience, procrastination is most pervasive. Even the most successful students and adults can struggle to initiate a difficult or less-than-exciting task. So what can they do about it? Plenty, it turns out. This week, we’ll be sharing the 5 best strategies to conquer procrastination, all of which have been tested b...

When you’re struggling with self-management, every day can feel like an uphill battle. Not knowing how to manage time, effort, or emotions - or to organize and plan in order to meet demands, is an exhausting way to live. And although it can feel isolating for those who are struggling, these problems are far more common than most of us might think.

Somehow, we’ve reached the final chapter of 2021. It's safe to say that this year was one giant learning experience as we all have tried to adapt to a world that was unrecognizable just two years ago. We've been lucky to have so many brilliant individuals share their wisdom with our community and contribute to this year of learning. Between the dozens of teachers, the...

If you’ve worked hard to get your child approved for a 504 plan for their ADHD, there can be a “phew!” moment after all those documents are signed. And while it’s a good move forward in leveling the playing field for your child, it’s really just the first step in a more comprehensive process of supporting your child’s academic performance. Wait - what? (In case you’re...

Have you noticed that almost everyone seems to be talking about anxiety lately? It may be because mental health, in general, is becoming less stigmatized, but it’s also clear that anxiety is simply becoming more prevalent in our world. This is especially true for students. According to the National Institute of Health, nearly 1 in 3 adolescents aged 13-18 will experie...

Editor's Note: In this week's blog, we invited clinical psychologist, Dr. Eva Benmeleh, to share her unique perspective & expertise on perfectionism - an area that her practice focuses on treating. --- As a psychologist who specializes in perfectionism, parents often ask me whether or not their children could have ADHD. It may be because their room is a total disa...

The school year that seemed brand new just one month ago is now entering the “routine” phase that tends to make the weeks and months fly by. But before we’re transported to the June finish line, our kids have a lot of school to get through - and now that we’re past the cautious optimism of the first few weeks, you may have noticed that your student’s bright-eyed optim...

Each school year, students begin a new chapter in their educational journey. And historically, this time has been a mixed bag of emotions - some excitement, some sadness (students in particular), and maybe even some mild nerves. But these last two back-to-school seasons have been different. Starting as early as June, our team began noticing that many parents were expr...

College planning can be both exciting and stressful. While students and parents celebrate this new stage and its milestones, for many, one question looms large: “Can we get help paying for this?” The answer to this question is, most often, yes. There are many sources of funding available other than student loans. The five tips below can help simplify your search by of...

When I had to move when I was in college, I did what most people do: I asked my friends for help. And, despite the busy lives they lead, they did. (Or, at least, many of them did. That’s right, I’m calling you out, Genevieve...) Now, I didn’t offer to pay my friends, but they helped me anyway. (I mean, I did bribe them with plenty of pizza, but no one volunteers to he...

As August nears its end and a new school year waits around the corner, a certain segment of students who recently graduated high school are coming to the same realization that I did three years ago: starting college is scary! Moving to a new place without parents for the first time where you know few people (if any) is understandably intimidating. Add on a host of new...

Transitioning to college is always difficult, but for the semester ahead, students and parents alike are more anxious than ever about the upcoming fall. During a year filled with upheaval and uncertainty, college life shifted dramatically, eliminating the traditional college experience many students had anticipated. But this fall, students are likely looking at a more...

Though summer hopefully has been a time for rest, relaxation, and reset, it’s also perhaps had some required summer reading for your student (whether they’ve started it yet or not...) This type of homework can feel like the antithesis of fun, especially during summer vacation, and your student may feel like putting it off until the last minute. This is often the momen...

If we were to eavesdrop on the inner thoughts of some students, we might hear something like this: "There is no way I belong in this honors-level class with all these geniuses!" "I got into jazz band on a lucky break. Once they hear me play, they'll know I don’t deserve to be here." "Why did I take AP Art? This class is for real artists, not me." Whether it’s in a spe...

For most of us, simply thinking about our early teen years can quickly produce cringe-worthy memories of awkward social interactions, questionable fashion choices, and hormonal chaos - all of which feel best left in the corners of our middle school locker. But what can often be equally uncomfortable is the tough landscape of actually parenting adolescent kids. Accordi...

Does your child start to panic when they get an essay assignment? As coaches, we see this frequently. Writing can be hard for students, especially when they have challenges in Executive Function areas like organization, planning, and task initiation. Here's a useful guide to help your student overcome that hesitation and write a paper they (and their teachers) can fee...

Editor's note: This week, we invited Sara Sullivan, a rising senior at Brown University, to share her experience transitioning to college, and the advice that she wished she had known in high school.

Put yourself in your student's shoes: You’ve got an essay due in a week, and perhaps you’re not particularly looking forward to it. You set up your study space, turn on your computer, open a blank document, curl your fingers over your keyboard, and…nothing. You’ve got nothing.

I was cruising down the Massachusetts Turnpike, breeze in my hair, with just enough time to arrive a little early for my meeting, when I realized that I was supposed to be heading east, not west. My arrival would not be five minutes early; it would be ten minutes late due to this nasty thing called physics. How did this happen to me, an Executive Function coach? (And,...

If the spoken-word poetry of youth poet Amanda Gorman at Joe Biden’s inauguration made you think, “Hmm, poetry seems a bit more interesting that I thought,” you’re in luck. April is National Poetry Month, and the fact is that not only can poetry be a fun thing to read, write, or hear, it’s also great at promoting Executive Function (EF) skills. In this week's piece, w...

“If I don’t wash the towels, then make up the lunches, then go get ice for the cooler, and pack the car up tonight, we’ll never get out the door and to the beach tomorrow.” This is just the sort of thing my friend Dylan would say as he prepares for Cape Cod traffic in the summer. Usually, I reply with something like: “Could Geoff help you with some of that?” Dylan lau...

We can feel the buzz in the air and vibrance in everyone’s step. I’m not talking about spring fever, I’m referring to our hope and excitement as we begin to imagine living in a post-pandemic world. As vaccinations become more widespread, so does everyone’s anticipation for a life resembling what we once had prior to COVID-19. But will your child be ready? We will neve...

This month, we gathered an expert panel of behavioral science and education professionals to discuss the complex process of supporting students with anxiety. Although many of the insights they shared were directed toward practitioners who work with students, we couldn’t help but notice how relevant some of their advice was for parents, too. In this week’s article, we’...

One benefit of having over 400 coaches at Beyond BookSmart is the ability to gather insights from such a wide field of Executive Function experts. And given how chaotic this past academic year has been, our coaches have become accustomed to answering some of the most pressing concerns that parents have about their kids’ learning. In this week’s article, two of our coa...

Picture this - you just finished your second Zoom meeting of the day. Your daughter is in the kitchen attending school remotely. She is a bright kid, but tends to be get distracted and off track during her remote classes. You walk into the kitchen to refill your coffee, but really your objective is to check in on her. As you walk in, she frantically closes a couple ta...

The ongoing pandemic has provided infinite opportunities for discovering (or rediscovering) new activities to keep us occupied in a COVID world: the joy of baking banana bread, learning a new instrument, decluttering long-neglected areas of our homes - and, more recently, the mental workout of playing chess. Thanks to the popular Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” c...

Moments of quiet and calm - and eruptions of tears and frustration. At night, a tangle of worried thoughts instead of restful sleep. While this could describe daily life for many of us in 2020, our team has been particularly attuned to the new challenges that parents and professionals have been facing this year. How have we kept our fingers on the pulse? During the pa...

It’s 7:45 on a Thursday night and your son finally gives his eyes a break from the TV just long enough to remember that he has a major essay due for English tomorrow. He might not admit it, but the frantic pacing and backpack digging already reveal everything you need to know - it’s not the first time he’s had a last-minute cramming crisis. Without asking details, you...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Emily Toffelmire, Senior Manager of Educational Counseling for Bright Horizons College Coach. Please read more about Emily below. Senior year of high school can be one of the most memorable and fun times in a young person’s life. But for students who put off all things college-app related until then, that first semest...

Imagine this - it’s the day of your World History exam. You’ve studied all week and are feeling confident. Your workspace is cleared and ready to go. Five minutes before the start time you attempt to log on to the main classroom page. A screen that says “no internet connection” is staring back at you. No, this can’t be happening! There are only four minutes left until...

When I was in grad school, I worked at a gym. One of the things I recall vividly about my time there were the encouraging vibes from personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and the members themselves. People clung to mantras such as “The pain you feel today will be the strength you feel tomorrow” and “The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do”, and “Be stron...

“Not another meal to prepare!” “I wish I was motivated to work-out.” “I just didn’t have the time to do that today." Sound familiar? You're certainly not alone - getting motivated isn't always easy. We all have those days where the routines get stale and even getting out of bed becomes an arduous task. In this article, I'm going to share my six simple motivating hacks...

Ah, the pandemic... Overnight, many of us parents became a nurse, a short-order cook, a guidance counselor, a teacher, and - most of all - a multitasking pro. From worried, sleepless nights to tired workdays, life as a parent in 2020 has been a challenge with seemingly no end in sight. How can we as parents possibly help our children when we are feeling totally overwh...

Mia, a curious 6th grader who was into dinosaurs and art class more than anything else, had been working with me for about two months when she finally settled on her organizational system: Triceratops stickers on her math folder, Ankylosaurus stickers on the English folder, and Velociraptor stickers for the social studies folder. Science and art -- her favorite subjec...

The previous several months have required all of us to wrap our minds around necessary changes that have been essential to public health and our general well-being. Between mandated social distancing, stay at home executive orders, working remotely and virtual schooling, our understanding of the world we live in had to ultimately shift. Many of these changes have requ...

There are many things people never tell you about parenting. For instance, how many fingernails you’ll clip, or that you may have to tell your son to stop chasing his sister with moldy bread (okay that second one may be a “me” thing)... However, the one quirk that we all were definitely not told about is that we’d have to parent through a pandemic. As many of us have ...

It seems like just yesterday parents across the country breathed a huge sigh of relief that the challenges of remote learning were over and summer was finally here. Now, summer is winding down, the new school year peeks around the corner, and uncertainty seems like the only sure thing. Schools are preparing for a variety of scenarios as the fall semester is rapidly ap...

Predictability. Just the word itself provokes a sense of calm. Unfortunately, the world we live in at the moment is probably going to be the most unpredictable we have and will ever experience and none of it is in our control. We have a choice to allow this fact to overwhelm us or we can focus on what we can control. What can we do to make our personal worlds more cal...

Every new college semester is a transition: New classes, new teachers, sometimes even new friends. This coming fall, however, will compound all of those changes with another one: A new way of learning. Yes, students do have a few months practice with the skill of learning-during-a-pandemic, but the spring semester was cushioned by lenient (and sometimes required) pass...

This turbulent school year has finally reached its end! But now that summer is here, many of you may be shifting into this new season with some concerns: What will my teen do if they’re not returning to camp? Will my teen be screen-bound for hours on end? Will my teen sleep all day and stay up all night, messing with their circadian rhythm? All of this upcoming downti...

We are living in an unprecedented time. As easy as it is to become overwhelmed amidst the chaos, there are things we can do to take control of the world around us in order to bring about a sense of security and calm. One of the most effective steps we can take to do this is by first getting a grip on our organizational skills. With so many of us being stuck at home, t...

We’ve finally reached the halfway point of 2020, and I think I speak for just about everyone in saying that these past 6 months have felt more like 6 years. A global pandemic, widespread economic uncertainty, mass unemployment, and now, historic protests against police brutality and racial injustice in every major US city - all of which have already cemented 2020 as a...

By now, some folks might be going back to work on site -- whether in full force or in a hybrid model. Many of us, though, are cruising past the two-month mark of working from home. If that’s you, you’ve probably gotten into somewhat of a groove. You’ve got the right mindset for working remotely and you’ve got your distractions managed so you can stay productive. But j...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Karen Spencer, Director of Educational Counseling for Bright Horizons College Coach. Please read more about Karen below. Ask any high school junior going through the college search process about the one thing that scares them most and you’ll usually hear them say “standardized tests.” The SAT and ACT tests have been a...

Working from home (WFH) inherently has its challenges. Although I imagine many of us are now finding that out (thanks, COVID-19), each of our experiences during this transition likely differs considerably depending on the unique situations we’re finding ourselves in. For some of you, that could mean suddenly having kids at home while you work, while for others it may ...

Being a working parent is a difficult job - especially when you have a 4th grade son with ADHD and a 4-year old daughter with more stamina than the Energizer Bunny. Now with COVID-19 forcing many parents to work from home, the fragile balance between our career responsibilities and duties as parents has been destabilized, transforming one difficult job into two seemin...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Dr. Katherine Pang, a licensed psychologist in TX. Please read more about Dr. Pang below. Right now, students, adults, and parents all over the world are struggling to continue this new “way of being” we find ourselves living. Our most mundane routines have been uprooted and altered in ways that would have defied our ...

In my last blog post I talked about how to get into a working mindset when you’ve got to work from home (WFH). For some of you, getting into the mindset was just the first hurdle. You might now be thinking: How do I keep that mindset? In this post we’ll explore ways to stay focused in the current WFH climate.

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Dr. Jane Greenstein, a licensed psychologist in MA. Please read more about Dr. Greenstein below. These are difficult times for everyone. Between coronavirus fears, quarantine, school closings, and financial uncertainty, we are in uncharted territory. It’s hard to manage worries about the future when so much is unknown...

Remember your college experience? Routine was key. Going to class each day, meeting on campus for group projects, and studying in the library were all staples in the life of an undergraduate. With the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, those college rituals have been disrupted. Now, millions of college students are finding themselves struggling to meet the demands of a cour...

As a college teacher, I’ve kept a weird work schedule for the past 10 years. Until the current school closures with the COVID-19 situation, I would physically go to work to teach my classes, hold office hour appointments, and attend meetings. But a significant portion of the work - such as grading papers - is work I did at home alone.

Middle school. For some of us, those three syllables can elicit chills of recalling social slights, embarrassing faux pas, and other growing pains of adolescence. Decades later, things haven’t changed much. In fact, it’s still about lunchtime and who you manage to sit near. As if that whole scene isn’t stressful enough, add in Executive Function challenges for a 6th, ...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Lisa Gurdin of LSGurdin Consulting. Please read more about Lisa below. One of the hardest parts of being a parent is realizing that your child will not always listen to what you say just because you say it. This is a tough nugget to swallow. Shouldn’t children just listen to their parents? Isn’t it just enough to say,...

Adults don’t always think of high school as the “real world,” but for students navigating that stage of life, the stress is entirely real. The academic obligations start to get more challenging and the social expectations feel more intense — just when students are beginning to add college and career decisions into the mix that will affect the rest of their lives. Whil...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest bloggers Michael Keesler and Jason Navon of Fox and Ferns Mental Health in Philadelphia, PA. Please read more about Michael and Jason below. In fall of 2000, a 16-year-old Michael Keesler took his first class at the Asheville Taekwondo Academy. It would be the first of many classes to follow, each beginning with bowing in and...

Almost everyone has a picture in their head of how their lives should run. It typically goes something like this: Your living space is orderly and tidy, with carefully chosen containers and efficient ways to house your belongings. Last minute guests? No biggie. Your place always looks ready to entertain friends and family. Your finances are in good order and you live ...

College students have plenty of fuel for anxiety. They’re in a social and academic environment that’s significantly different than any that they’re used to. They’re often trying to balance course work with a job - in addition to social and family obligations. And they’re doing all this while also trying to chart out a plan for their entire future (and trying not to th...

The first part of the school year is almost in the record books, and already you see the writing on the wall. Your bright, funny, curious child brought home a backpack crammed with crumpled worksheets, last week’s hummus snack, and teacher comments that were less than stellar. You know she can do better. Her teachers know she can do better. Your child wants to do well...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Ari Fox, LCSW-R, of CopeWithSchoolNYC.com, where a version of this article was published. Please read more about Ari below. "He's just a shy boy!" "She'll outgrow her clinginess." When is a child showing typical degrees of shyness and when does it become more concerning? It can be easy for parents to overlook social a...

Students in elementary school often have good reason to feel anxious. Whether it’s taking tests in class, handling unexpected changes in a schedule, or remembering to take their materials home or to school, young students have a number of daily demands that require using their Executive Function skills. And because those very skills are still developing in their brain...

Editor’s note: This week, we feature guest blogger Joanna Robin, Ph.D., of Bright Parenting. Please read more about Joanna below. When kids struggle to do their homework, it can stir up so many emotions in parents. Maybe you were the type of student who got your homework done right away and you didn’t have anxiety about homework—until now, when you see your own child ...

“But I don’t want to go to bed!” Pretty much every parent has heard these words, or some variation, as early as...well, my three-year old says it, so let’s go with that. Usually one more story suffices at this age, but as children get older, the pleas often become more difficult to navigate.

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest bloggers Mandi Croft-Petoskey and Amanda Moons of Neuro Educational Specialists. Please read more about Mandi and Amanda below.

Did you ever notice that September, the beginning of the school year for most students, shares something in common with January, the beginning of the calendar year? Both present a great opportunity to start anew, wipe the slate clean, and make positive changes. For some of us, these starting points might inspire setting goals for fitness, knowledge, or skills we’d lik...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Janet Price, Director of Admissions and Outreach at College Living Experience in Rockville, MD. Please read more about Janet below. Support in college for students with learning disabilities includes accommodations ranging from extra time on exams to a note-taker or copies of the professor’s notes. However, obtaining ...

Even though much of our work as Executive Function coaches focuses on helping students and adults work more effectively, you may be surprised to learn that we get a fair amount of questions during our presentations and talks that relate to managing a household, as well. And why not? After all, we use skills such as time management, emotion regulation, planning, and pe...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Steven Cruz, , M.A., President and Founder of Omega Educational Consulting, Inc. Please read more about Steven below.

When I polled our coaches for their best ideas they've used to work with their clients in the summertime, I shouldn't have been surprised at the responses - but I sort of was! It turns out, the more relaxed mode of summer is fertile ground for all kinds of in-depth projects and explorations for our clients - and that intensive work allows for several Executive Functio...

(Author’s note: the names and circumstances have been altered to protect the client’s anonymity.) The mom calls me at 3:15 on a Tuesday afternoon. I am coaching another student at the time, but I listen to her voicemail message when I’m done with the session at 4:00. Marie is clearly anguished.

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Annie Tulkin, Founder of Accessible College, where she provides college transition support nationally for students with physical disabilities and health conditions. Please read more about Annie below. Students with health conditions, including diabetes, epilepsy, mental health conditions, and other chronic health cond...

Whenever I am working with someone on creating a schedule, I always get asked the same question, “Should I add activities that are not related to school or work?” My answer is always a resounding, “Absolutely!”

When I was little, I can remember being told the old adage, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While I understand that it was meant to encourage me and to make me feel better when someone had said mean words to me, as an adult and as an educator, I now find that phrase a little dishonest. Words have meaning and they can - and do -hu...

Content updated on August 30, 2023 School should be easy for a child who is gifted, right? On the surface, that's a simple answer: "Of course!" But if we take a closer look at a typical school experience for a gifted child, we often see some version of the following scenario...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Martin Franklin, Ph.D., clinical director of Rogers Behavioral Health in Philadelphia. Please read more about Dr. Franklin below. Children with obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and anxiety disorders often struggle in school. Parents who want to help their children are often at a loss as to what to do: Should we speak to sch...

College freshmen don't always go on to become college seniors. In fact, according to CollegeAtlas.org, 30% of students don't return after their freshman year. That's a startling statistic to grasp for any parent of a high school student. What's behind those numbers? How can a parent ensure their soon-to-be young adult won't be in that 30% who don't make it to sophomor...

Think of a time when you tried to offer helpful advice to your child about the way they study. How did that go? If your kid is like most, you probably saw eye-rolling and heard heavy sighs of frustration in response to your useful tips. Why on earth does your kid refuse to take advantage of your years of experience and just listen to your sage advice about preparing f...

Disclaimer: Cramming the night before a test is never the best strategy. These tips are only to help you at the last minute when necessary, not to give you a reason to delay preparing well for a test. The Scenario: It’s Sunday night. You’ve had a long, fun weekend and then you realize you have a history test Monday morning...uh oh…OMG!!!! You start to feel like it’s t...

Opportunities for learning are everywhere — both inside and outside of the classroom. As parents, coaches, and teachers, we want our students to be able to take advantage of these opportunities. Part of that objective is to support them to be effective advocates for their own learning. My three-year old son is pretty good at this. If he needs help, he will take my han...

As parents, we often get in the habit of worrying about our kids. When we suspect that our child’s problems aren’t just run-of-the-mill issues but something that might have a significant impact on their children’s lives, we wonder if we need help from a qualified professional.

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger The Law Office of Steven Alizio, PLLC. Please read more about Steven Alizio below. As professionals who specialize in helping parents find the best possible support for their children with learning differences and other disabilities, our team typically hears some variation of this question every day: How do I ensure t...

Everything these days seems to be going digital. Apps for this, websites for that, Google Home or Alexa taking up residence in our living rooms. It can be helpful for planning and keeping track of our busy lives, but can also a bit overwhelming and distracting. For those of us who prefer paper and pen as opposed to a digital calendar, using a day planner can be one of...

Recently, a college freshman (who happens to be our founder’s daughter, Jenna) shared with us her detailed plan to get through the first finals period of her college career. What do you notice as you look at this plan? To start, if you’re a parent, maybe you’re whispering a fervent “Thank goodness I’m done with school!” as you look at the work ahead of this student. M...

We all know the typical trajectory. It’s what most of your friends are doing: graduating high school, enjoying summer, and moving directly on to college. But that’s not the path for you. Some of your peers know exactly what they want to be and others are just going to college because it’s the next step... and that’s fine for them. But it’s not who you are. You need so...

The “real” world. When exactly did we somehow all agree to identify the non-academic world as some separate place and time in which things will finally become real? It’s time to quash this concept because, for students, school is the real world. The skills they need to get through school happen to be highly relevant to the skills they’ll need to tackle in the world be...

As parents, we often have high expectations for our kids. We are well aware of the hard work and self-starting attitudes they need that are the cornerstones of success in today’s world. So, what if you’re not seeing these behaviors and attitudes reflected in your kids? It’s only natural to feel concerned. If your child has trouble staying motivated, organized, and on ...

Online courses can be a wonderful way to learn almost anything—from accounting to zoology. It can help to fill skill gaps, earn credits toward a degree, and contribute to personal enrichment. Many options are low-cost or even free and there is no commute! So, everyone should sign up for online classes, right? Hold on - first consider some of the possible pitfalls befo...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger David Recine, a test prep expert at Magoosh. Please see David's bio below. What tips do you need to follow to ace the SAT? That depends at least partly on your own skills and learning needs. But here are four tips that can help any student get a strong start as they embark on their SAT preparation and chart their own ...

Visiting a professor during office hours in college can be a daunting task, especially for freshmen. Students wonder if they should just stop by to introduce themselves or if they must prepare specific questions. Anxiety might take over, with students fearing they won’t sound smart enough or seem like “college material.” Students often think: “What if I make things wo...

The lazy days of summer are nearing an end and the kids are finally heading back to school. This time of year can be a relief for many parents, but it can also feel overwhelming: How will we be ready for that hectic first day? Where is that school supply list? Did my child complete their summer reading log? If your child has Executive Function issues, much of the burd...

Most people would agree that Mondays can be lousy. But the one thing Monday’s got going for it is that we think of Mondays as “work days,” and when we’ve already got work on the brain it can make getting started on our work a little easier. But Sundays are a whole other story.

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Venetia Muench, a mom with two 2E sons who has learned how to navigate the school system in order to find the most effective support for her children. Please see her full bio below. Raising a gifted kid is easy. They always overachieve academically. Parents of gifted kids can just sit back and watch them sail through ...

Do you ever run into the grocery store with a short list in your head and leave with only half of what you went in for? Does your son have to memorize the names of the planets in order, numerical operations, science classifications, or the beaches of the Normandy D-Day invasion - and does he always forget one or two? Does your daughter “cram” the night before a vocabu...

We all want our children to genuinely love school. After all, we know there’s more to be gained from schooling than memorizing times tables or reciting the state capitals. When children engage with caring teachers and other students, they acquire valuable experiences that help them grow socially and behaviorally - as well as academically. Unfortunately, when children ...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Michael Keesler, J.D., Ph.D., a neuropsychologist who practices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Please see his full bio below. With spring’s arrival, parents and children are shaking off winter’s cabin fever and returning outdoors. On the one hand, it is no great insight to observe that we enjoy spending time outdoors ...

No matter what the age or disposition of your child, parenting is a tough job. Add Executive Function challenges to the mix and life can go from joy to confusion in a matter of minutes. If your child has Executive Function challenges, your entire day is a potential minefield of frustrating scenarios — but hold on, your friendly neighborhood Executive Function coach ha...

Do you have a child who can talk at length on a topic but struggles to get all those great ideas down on paper? Because writing draws upon Executive Function skills such as planning, organizing, time management, attention, working memory, and metacognition — it’s no wonder we Executive Function coaches see many of our students struggle in this area. In fact, writing c...

Lately yoga has been paired with everything from goats to beer, but the most natural pairing may well be yoga and students. For a fun activity that has no specific goal, yoga can certainly pack a punch when it comes to helping with self-management skills. How could a non-competitive exercise help students to sharpen their Executive Function skills? Practicing yoga not...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Marcia Morris, M.D., a psychiatrist with 20 years of experience working with college students. Please see her full bio below. If your child is not doing well at college, there could be many reasons why – poor organization, too much partying, challenges with time management – to mention just a few. But did you know tha...

As an adult, you may think that being a fourth-grader is the easiest life around — no bills to pay, no worries about your career, no responsibilities other than some homework and a couple simple household chores. But can you imagine being a fourth grader whose everyday world of school and home feels overwhelming because they lack the Executive Function skills needed t...

As Executive Function coaches, parents frequently ask us what skills are typical for students to have mastered by a certain age. The answer is often complex, as each child is unique — a child's learning profile, developmental history, environment, and life experiences all interact to influence how and when Executive Function skills emerge and solidify. We've created t...

Here's a glimpse into a typical morning when I was in high school... My sleep fogged brain hears my alarm as if from a distance. I had stayed up until 2:30am finishing a paper for history that I should have started weeks ago. I gather up enough strength to make the noise stop by snoozing my alarm until my mother encourages me out of bed. After dressing, I can’t rememb...

Is your child’s backpack and locker a mysterious black hole, from which no permission slip or study guide ever resurfaces? Does your child risk keeling over from the weight of all of the papers they lug around daily? If you’re like many parents I know, you’d welcome a solution to managing the avalanche of paper that overwhelms many students by this time in the school ...

If you’re like me, your life is totally together and scheduled and organized and you never feel stressed or overwhelmed by anything. Ok, so maybe that’s not exactly true -- but that’s where improving Executive Function skills can help. Executive Function skills are certainly not only about helping kids manage schoolwork. While adults tend to have better self-managemen...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Samantha Kolkey, a licensed social worker and Director of Programs at Options for College Success. Please see her full bio below. I'd like to reveal to you a few examples of conversations I have had or overheard during my six years as a social worker serving individuals with learning disabilities. Tutor: Why didn’t yo...

At this point in the school year, students and parents have often (mostly) overcome the initial back to school transition glitches. The class schedule is starting to feel more automatic, you know the teachers’ names, and thoughts turn more readily to fall and winter holidays than the wistful memories of sunny beach outings. Yet, as soon as you think things have settle...

Brandon is a Young Adult with Failure to Launch Syndrome A Day in the Life of Brandon, Age 22 11:30 a.m. I blink and rub the sleep out of my eyes. Mom and Dad are at work and there’s no annoying alarm dictating the start of the day. I grab my phone, and (after checking Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat) I scroll through my emails to see if there are any repli...

A couple of years ago I learned the secret to getting a group of sixth graders to participate in class: simply ask them if they are stressed out. This was my icebreaker question to introduce the topic of mindfulness. In response, it seemed as though the entire class raised their hands. And there was not enough time to allow everyone to share what stressed them out. Th...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Mamie Rand, a mom whose son benefits from Executive Function coaching. Please see her full bio below. Perhaps this recent scene in my household sounds a little familiar to you… “Son, check your watch. What time does it say?” “4:00, Mom!” He is exasperated that I’m about to issue a curfew. “I must see you home at 5:33 ...

Morning Mad Dash: 6:57 AM - Scrambling Out the Door Olivia has to catch the bus at 7:30, and she likes to sleep in until 6:45 … and maybe hit the snooze button one or two times after that. That leaves her about half an hour to madly dash about the house eating breakfast, choosing an outfit, brushing her teeth, packing her lunch, changing after reconsidering her outfit...

We’ve all had that surge of nervous energy as a big event is coming up and learning to control the jitters, or emotionally regulate, can be a challenge for both students and adults. As the start of the school year approaches, you might notice anxiety building as your child anticipates new teachers, a new schedule, and the other big changes. Let’s explore some ABCs of ...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Elizabeth Hamblet, a learning consultant in Columbia University’s disability services office. Please see her full bio below. “I honestly don’t know.” The student is looking at a grid showing the days of the week broken into hour blocks that she’s filled in with her classes, sleeping and meal times, and rehearsals. Thi...

Summertime and the readin’ is easy. Or not. No doubt, your children have a book or two (or more) on their lists to complete before they head back to school - but how will they retain that information and make the most of the juicy learning opportunities ahead?

Picture this: You go from 6:30am wake-ups to 10:00am ones. You go from four intense hours of learning to a 50-minute class followed by a three hour break. You go from abiding by a curfew to having no curfew at all. These are the kinds of transitions that college freshman eagerly look forward to (and make me wish I were still in college…). But the awesomeness of these ...

Summer can be an ideal time to plant seeds for growth in the future. But why use this down-time to discuss goals, or work on skills, when the last thing your child wants to think about is school? When September comes around, if struggling students have not been expanding their skillset, they start back to school with the same challenges they faced last year but withou...

You’ve reached one of those moments in parenting that you’ve dreaded: For the second quarter in a row, your son Ethan has come home with poor math grades on his report card. You want to get him the help he needs, so you hire a highly recommended tutor named Zak to help him out. Problem solved, right?

When thinking back to your middle school years, I’ll bet you recall a time in your life when your peers were always accepting, your teachers understood you, and your retainer never, ever got lost. No? I didn't think so. It turns out, not too much has changed since the Pleistocene era we grew up in, pre-interwebs. Middle school is still an awkward time, to say the leas...

"Help! My child has senioritis — and she's only a freshman (or a 7th grader, or a 4th grader...)!" Has your child spent hours staring at a piece of paper, futilely attempting to start some dreaded piece of homework? Has your daughter declared that she is “so over school"?

As parents, we sometimes fall into the trap of believing our children are too young to be stressed. We are the adults with bills and obligations, after all! Well, it turns out that kids feel the pressure, too.

Imagine a community where hundreds of familiar faces gather together to socialize, where the possibilities for exploration are endless, and all of it is accessible with the push of a finger. In your child’s world, this place exists: it’s called YouTube.

Summer is a great time for sitting on the beach, splashing in the pool, backyard barbecues, and you guessed it: developing Executive Function skills. This time of year, we hear a lot of parents worry that summer won’t be a productive time to learn (or continue to build) these important foundational skills.

It’s Monday night, and your child is agonizing over starting the essay that is due first thing on Tuesday morning. Suddenly you remember the graphic organizer that was recommended last week at parent-teacher conferences. But when you present your son or daughter with what promises to be the antidote to those writing woes, the kid glares at you like you’ve handed over ...

This is the second entry in a 3-part blog series highlighting my preparation, process, and reflection for the upcoming Boston Marathon. My first entry was back in October of last year when I was nothing but sunny and optimistic in preparation for marathon training. One thing I'm discovering is that when I coach my students to develop good study habits, I'm preparing t...

When does a minor problem become a major problem? Sometimes the tipping point is just out of view, but it creeps up over time. In 2013, my primary care doctor came into the room and said to me, “You’ve gained six pounds since you were last here.” Yup. That sounded about right. Seeing as I’m not a scale-watching fanatic, the comment didn’t really affect me. But that wa...

Has your son ever lost points on a test or assignment because he did not follow all the directions? Does your daughter highlight everything when she reads and as a result can’t figure out what to study? Does your son complain about how his teacher is “torturing him” because he does not see the point of the assignment? If any of these common scenarios sound familiar, y...

When you work out your body, it’s usually because you’re looking to drop some fat. But when you work out your brain, you’re actually gaining some extra fat. Don’t worry, it’s not likely to register when you step on your scale. This fat operates at the microscopic level to help lock in skills and routines. How does your brain help you build better work habits? Well, he...

Imagine walking through the city on a bright, sunny day, when you’re approached by a person holding a clipboard. Would you be more likely to stop and listen if the person says: “Would you be willing to take a survey for me?” or “Could I have just two minutes of your time?” If you’re like me, the second request seems easier to agree to than the first. I don’t want to w...

Editor's note: Part of this blog is an excerpt from a longer article The Adolescent Brain: Primed For Thrills And High On Life. Reprinted by permission from The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, a division of Massachusetts General Hospital. Teenagers are convinced they are ready to take the reins, no longer wanting to be held back by overly-cautious adults who don’...

Have you ever listened to your child lament, “I just can’t think of what to write”? Perhaps you have heard your child utter, in the mode of a 19th century Romantic poet, “I’m waiting for inspiration.” As a parent, you may find yourself thinking, “My child is smart and articulate, so why are writing assignments so stressful?”

Imagine a builder getting started on a new home. Maybe he’s behind schedule. There’s pressure from the owners. He knows that the foundation has to go in before he can build but maybe he can find a way to get back on schedule by modifying his approach.

(Editor's note: This article was originally published at ImpactADHD. Reprinted with permission from the author.) The subject of motivation comes up in most of our workshops or classes. Without fail, we hear comments like, “Nothing motivates my kids. I’ve taken everything away… I bribe them with everything and still nothing works.” There are some common mistakes that w...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Dr. Ellen Braaten, associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital. This is part two of her series on slow processing speed. Read her full bio below.

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Sean Potts, a student who graduated from Executive Function coaching support to full independence. A Personal Experience with ADHD and Good Grades “But look at your grades… There’s no way you have ADHD!” The amount of times I’ve heard this familiar phrase said in one way or another is astounding. What makes the co-exi...

If I earned a gold coin for every time a parent complained about their child’s love of video games, I would have stormed the castle, defeated the castle warlords, and earned magical powers to advance me to the next level by now (because what else are gold coins for in video games?)

In just under six months, I will be running my first marathon. And it’s a big one: the Boston Marathon. Training for this is going to be a huge endeavor that will require some serious goal-directed persistence and integration of just about all the rest of my executive function skills. As an executive function coach, I am fortunate to have many tools and strategies to ...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Hanna Bogen, a Speech-Language Pathologist and Social-Cognitive Specialist based in Los Angeles, CA. Please read her full bio below. Few tasks test self-regulation skills like homework time. Self-regulation is critical to one’s ability to manage challenging or complex situations, and homework time is no exception. Str...

It’s the first week in October. We’re ankle-deep into the school year. The new backpacks, so carefully selected in August, already have a fine patina of crud and some crumpled worksheets or permission slips in more than one compartment. The bright eyed optimism of the back-to-school transition begins to morph to a bleary resignation of another tough day of school ahea...

“Please stop graduating.” I remember reading this line quite vividly in an otherwise comical card from my younger brother. It was both a sarcastic comment - he’d suffered through my high school, undergraduate, graduate and second graduate school graduations - and a serious one. He was sick and tired of being outdone academically.

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Dr. Ellen Braaten, associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital. Read her full bio below. Understanding Slow Processing in Children Some kids are naturally fast. They run, talk, complete homework assignments and do all sorts of things at a rate that seems appropriate ...

You feel like a broken record. How many times have you mentioned/suggested/demanded that your child stop texting, checking the Twitter feed, or watching the latest viral sensation on YouTube while doing homework? Your tween or teen assures you that they are capable of extraordinary multitasking powers; in fact, he or she says that all this social media stuff actually ...

Executive function can be likened to the brain’s air traffic control center.* The air traffic director must safely, quickly, and effectively manage dozens of flights into and out of an airport with multiple runways and terminals. Now, imagine this director on the job, in the control tower, and he is feeling enraged. Or terrified. Or bereaved. In any of these scenarios...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Dr. Joseph Moldover, a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Wellesley, MA. Read his full bio below. Uncertainty is one thing that is guaranteed to create anxiety. Uncertainty can come from several different places for parents who find out that their child is struggling with executive function challenges. L...

With a new school year beginning, it’s a perfect time to anticipate some bumps in the road and have a plan in place to navigate them with your child. If you’ve seen a pattern of needing to rescue your child from poor planning, the odds are that theme will creep up again this year. Before you rush to be a first responder to your child’s next Homework 911 call, consider...

Earlier this summer, we published a pair of blog articles featuring the ways perfectionist tendencies in students can result in academic anxiety for those with executive function challenges. These articles featured helpful tips for students who become paralyzed when attempting to initiate a task out of fear that it may not be “good enough”. For some students, however,...

In my first year of college I attended a small, private school in southern New Hampshire. My 18-year-old self was thrilled at the prospect of starting this new adventure. This would be my first experience living away from home, fending for myself, and being completely self-reliant. I could not have been more excited! And, as it turns out, I could not have been more il...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Sean Potts, a student who graduated from Executive Function coaching support to full independence. I clearly remember bringing home my report cards in 7th grade: a familiar assortment of C’s and D’s that I dreaded showing my parents. Despite the deep disappointment that I felt, I was seemingly powerless to change my s...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Dr. Elizabeth Hayward. Please read her full bio below. Parents of a child who has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often learn that their child also struggles with executive functioning. Executive function skills are those self-management skills that help us to set and achieve goals,...

Executive function is sometimes described as “the CEO of the brain.” It’s responsible for seeing an idea or project through from start to finish, which involves scheduling, organizing, prioritizing, anticipating obstacles, and much more - sometimes all at once! Does that remind you of anyone else? Perhaps you think of yourself, conducting the symphony of a hectic week...

Building good habits involves repetition. Lots of it. There’s no easy shortcut, much as we may want a quick fix to anything we are trying to improve: healthful eating, fewer Netflix binges, clutter-free countertops. The same applies to our students. They may want to procrastinate less, get to class on time, or keep their desks organized, but the uncomfortable truth is...

Millions of college students are on summer break: scooping ice cream to earn a few bucks, sweating out a coveted internship, or just catching up with hometown buddies. And many, many of these students are also having some tough conversations with their parents about their grades. “How can it be,” parents say, “that you were an honor roll student in high school yet you...

Are you worried that your child tends toward perfectionism? As coaches, we often encounter students with perfectionistic mindsets in combination with other Executive Function challenges. When students focus on producing “perfect” work, it can not only be counterproductive but research suggests it can even prove harmful. The good news is that the right kind of support ...

Editor's note: This week, we feature guest blogger Judith S. Bass, CEP. Please read her full bio below. As a parent, you want your child to succeed in high school and go on to college. Naturally, you want to do everything you can to help your child get the best grades possible. So, you hire tutors for every subject. You sit with your son every night to monitor his hom...